The MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute at Long Beach Medical Center, Cancer Risk & Prevention Program encourages people to take advantage of genetic counseling, which has helped hundreds of people determine their risk for diseases that can be inherited. About 5 - 10% of all cancers are inherited. This means that mutations in specific genes are passed from one blood relative to another. Individuals who inherit one of these abnormal genes have a much greater chance of developing cancer within their lifetime and at an earlier age including colon, uterine, breast, prostate and ovarian cancer.
Genetic Counselor Karen Lappen, MS, CGC discusses the scientific advancements that can provide an individualized cancer risk analysis based on family history and/or genetic testing and the benefits of genetic counseling for patients and their families.
